Self Defense Classes

[cathal]

If you have ever attended a self defense class, how do you think it compares to your martial arts training?

[pineapple]

Self defense training is martial arts training but the focus is on practical techniques that have been proven effective on the street.

[ps1]

I teach the credited self defense class at Youngstown State University. Self Defense is different than martial arts training. Teaching self defense is more about preventing and staying out of situations that could lead to violence than anything else.

Violent crimes are always about someone trying to assert their power over you. It's never about sexuality or anything like that. So we focus on ways we can make it difficult for an assailant to take that power away. The way you walk, the way you talk, the choices you make should all be discussed. Additionally, being vocal in a hostile situation is extremely important. When they are taught to take a fighting posture, they are required to yell, "get away from me!" It's vocal and could get the attention of others, not to mention it demonstrates that asserting your power over that person will be difficult. Just that could make a would be assailant nervous enough to move on and try someone else (this is called crime displacement).

When I teach the physical techniques to the class, I stick to two basic punches (jab and cross) and a knee strike. I start with these techniques because the Department Of Justice has a number of statistics that show striking is more effective than grappling in getting out of a bad situation. That doesn't mean the techniques work better, just that they more commonly make an attacker halt their attack and move on. After two weeks of practice with strikes, I begin moving into how to escape a variety of graps and holds. The final is extremely stressful for the students and takes on a variety of situations.

Many seminars I've been at were, IMO, very ineffective. They lasted a few hours and taught 5 or six techniques. There's no way an untrained individual is going to remember all of that. Even with a 15 week semester, I am hesitant to teach techniques that are complicated in any way. Teaching martial arts techniques is about creating new and effective habits. 15 weeks is just not enough time to create those habits in a way that they will last for the rest of their life.

I should also mention that I have 4 different area martial arts schools come in and do demonstrations. One is a Phillipino, weapon based, school, one is TKD, one is Shotokan, and the other is Brazillian Jiujitsu. This allows the students, if they are interested, to get an idea of just how effective many martial arts can be.

[ps1]

Self defense training is martial arts training but the focus is on practical techniques that have been proven effective on the street.

No techniques are "proven" effective (I'm not talking about MMA sport fights, I'm talking about life and death). It always comes down to someone's opinion of what is effective. Most techniques taught are based on experience from one or two situations at best. There are very few people that have been in many life and death struggles.

Statistically, techniques that have worked in stopping an assult have ranged from slapping to punching to kicking shins to headbuts to talking your way out and running. It is all based on the situation and the mindset of your attacker. Typically, doing something...anything, is better than doing nothing.

[Jiffy]

PS1. So true. I doubt you will find anyone that has successfully used any one technique more than a handful of times. If they have, I think they need to learn better negotiating skills.

[bushido_man96]

I teach the credited self defense class at Youngstown State University. Self Defense is different than martial arts training. Teaching self defense is more about preventing and staying out of situations that could lead to violence than anything else.

Violent crimes are always about someone trying to assert their power over you. It's never about sexuality or anything like that. So we focus on ways we can make it difficult for an assailant to take that power away. The way you walk, the way you talk, the choices you make should all be discussed. Additionally, being vocal in a hostile situation is extremely important. When they are taught to take a fighting posture, they are required to yell, "get away from me!" It's vocal and could get the attention of others, not to mention it demonstrates that asserting your power over that person will be difficult. Just that could make a would be assailant nervous enough to move on and try someone else (this is called crime displacement).

When I teach the physical techniques to the class, I stick to two basic punches (jab and cross) and a knee strike. I start with these techniques because the Department Of Justice has a number of statistics that show striking is more effective than grappling in getting out of a bad situation. That doesn't mean the techniques work better, just that they more commonly make an attacker halt their attack and move on. After two weeks of practice with strikes, I begin moving into how to escape a variety of graps and holds. The final is extremely stressful for the students and takes on a variety of situations.

Many seminars I've been at were, IMO, very ineffective. They lasted a few hours and taught 5 or six techniques. There's no way an untrained individual is going to remember all of that. Even with a 15 week semester, I am hesitant to teach techniques that are complicated in any way. Teaching martial arts techniques is about creating new and effective habits. 15 weeks is just not enough time to create those habits in a way that they will last for the rest of their life.

I should also mention that I have 4 different area martial arts schools come in and do demonstrations. One is a Phillipino, weapon based, school, one is TKD, one is Shotokan, and the other is Brazillian Jiujitsu. This allows the students, if they are interested, to get an idea of just how effective many martial arts can be.

Nice post. You make lots of good points. It is important to train gross motor skill movements to these students, so that their bodies can adapt them more quickly. It is also important, as you noted, that self-defense training has just as much to do with environmental awareness as with physical training.

[Zorbasan]

the problem with a self defence course is that it is usually a few hours.

MA , and self defence require repitition so that the reaction is instant, ie you wont have to think about it.

some people will take a 2 week 1 hour a day course and be filled with a pile of confidence that could actually prove dangerous if they were to get in to a situation.

[bushido_man96]

I don't think self-defense classes are as physically intensive as regular martial arts classes. The self-defense classes have a lot more interaction with partners, and is almost completely hands on. It is mostly very basic moves, and lots of repetitions to get it into muscle memory.

I do agree that it is a better idea to spread a self-defense course out over a couple of weeks, or maybe even a month, with sessions 2 or 3 days per week. A 6 hour course may be information overload for the students.

[elbows_and_knees]

the problem with a self defence course is that it is usually a few hours.

MA , and self defence require repitition so that the reaction is instant, ie you wont have to think about it.

some people will take a 2 week 1 hour a day course and be filled with a pile of confidence that could actually prove dangerous if they were to get in to a situation.

bingo.

For most of the population, self defense classes are a waste of time because the person learning the techniques will not practice them once the seminar is over. For those short seminars, teaching technique is just a waste that brings money to you, but nothing to the attendee. At seminars I've conducted, we started with stuff they can instantly use - awareness. teaching them to be more aware of their surroundings, how to not look like a victim, how to actively monitor for possible threats, etc. We showed some technique at the end of the seminar, but it was largely what I mentioned above.

that said, if the class is ongoing, where they can practice the techniques sever times per week, then yeah, it can be effective. But for the one time seminars, no.

[szorn]

the problem with a self defence course is that it is usually a few hours.

MA , and self defence require repitition so that the reaction is instant, ie you wont have to think about it.

some people will take a 2 week 1 hour a day course and be filled with a pile of confidence that could actually prove dangerous if they were to get in to a situation.

As was mentioned, self-defense and martial arts are two different animals. While it is true that most solid self-defense programs are conducted in short periods of time, I wouldn't call that a problem. Generally, such programs reach those people who need self-defense the most and where regular long-term martial arts classes wouldn't be viable.

I agree that unnatural martial arts and self-defense skills require thousands of repititions to master. That's exactly why most solid self-defense programs are based on natural instinctive gross-motor skills, essentially skills that are already hardwired into the neural-pathways. By building the program around natural and instinctive skills the student requires less training time and less long-term practice in order to effectively learn, retain, and us the skills if needed. While this obviously isn't the most ideal of situations, many times it happens to be best for those who might actually need such training.

I would agree that a program that teaches complex or dangerous techniques in a short period of time could lead to a false sense of confidence and actually lead to a dangerous situation for the student. However, if the program is solid and built on reality-based concepts and effective natural skills, it should not only improve confidence but prepare the student physically and mentally to survive a life-or-death altercation. In such case, I wouldn't call that false confidence. Also, it should be pointed out that in some cases the improvement of confidence itsself can decrease the chances a person will be victimized.

Steve Zorn, ICPS